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Research indicates that adults who bully have personalities that are authoritarian, combined with a strong need to control or dominate.[1] It has also been suggested that a prejudicial view of subordinates can be a particularly strong risk factor.[2] Some doctors have argued that a bully reflects the environment of his home, repeating the model he learned from his parents.[3]

Further studies have shown that envy and resentment may be motives for bullying.[4] Research on the self-esteem of bullies has produced equivocal results.[5][6] While some bullies are arrogant and narcissistic,[7] others can use bullying as a tool to conceal shame or anxiety or to boost self esteem: by demeaning others, the abuser him/herself feels empowered.[8]

Researchers have identified other risk factors such as depression[9] and personality disorders,[10] as well as quickness to anger and use of force, addiction to aggressive behaviors, mistaking others' actions as hostile, concern with preserving self image, and engaging in obsessive or rigid actions.[11] A combination of these factors may also be causes of this behavior.[12] In one recent study of youth, a combination of antisocial traits and depression was found to be the best predictor of youth violence, whereas video game violence and television violence exposure were not predictive of these behaviors.[13]

It is often suggested that bullying behavior has its origin in childhood. As a child who is inclined to act as a bully ages, his or her related behavior patterns will often also become more sophisticated. Schoolyard pranks and 'rough-housing' may develop into more subtle, yet equally effective adult-level activities such as administrative end-runs, well-planned and orchestrated attempts at character assassination, or other less obvious, yet equally forceful forms of coercion.